DATE: August 16, 2018 TO: 4-H and FFA State Fair Livestock Exhibitors FROM: Bill Angell, State Fair Livestock Division Director Thank you for choosing to exhibit livestock at the Nebraska State Fair! This letter is to inform you of State Fair procedures that apply to all 4-H and FFA livestock exhibitors. The first two pages of this letter cover general information for all species. Each individual species has its own section on separate pages. If you have specific questions about your livestock entries, please contact your county 4-H Extension Staff or FFA Advisor. Entry to Grounds, Unloading, Permits and Traffic Flow: Enter the east entrance to the Brunk s Lot from Stolley Park Road. Pick up exhibitor packet at livestock Check-In Trailer; livestock will be health checked at this time. Swine will proceed to Gate # 3 and cattle, sheep and goats, proceed to Gate #4. Drive through appropriate barn to unload. Exit to east and south through Gate #2. After unloading and exiting grounds, drop trailer off in the Brunk s Lot (where Check-In Trailer is located). Once that lot is full you will proceed to the Luebbe East Lot on Stuhr Road. Vehicles without a parking permit will be allowed to park in the Luebbe s East Lot or general parking. Move trucks with exhibitor permit to exhibitor parking inside Gate #3 (3A) or Brunk s Lot (3B). Trucks without exhibitor permits must park in the Luebbe s East Lot or general parking. Please be courteous to other exhibitors. There will be people in the barns to assist you with unloading. Once you have unloaded, move your vehicle out of the barn prior to setting up your area! Livestock Check in Trailer Hours: Open from 7:00 a.m. until 10:00 p.m. starting Thursday, August 30. Available 6:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. on Friday, August 31. Open from 7:00 a.m. to 11:00 am on Saturday, September 1. Herdsmanship is an important part of presenting a positive image of 4-H and FFA members and their livestock projects to the public. All exhibitors are encouraged to keep their areas neat and clean for public viewing. Health Certificates: These are required on all animals entering the fairgrounds and will be checked by a veterinarian at the Livestock Check-In Trailer prior to entering the grounds. If you have both 4-H and FFA livestock, they may be listed on the same health certificate as they will be checked at the same time. Stall Availability: The barns will be split between 4-H and FFA; however, we have worked to accommodate exhibitor stalling preference between the two organizations. You will be stalled based on the preference you identified when submitting your entries online (to be stalled with your 4-H County or FFA Chapter).
Stall assignments for goats, sheep and swine will be available at the Livestock Check-In Trailer and posted in the barn after 7:00 am on Thursday, August 30. Goats, sheep and swine may be unloaded and penned from this time on. Please note that any tack into the barns prior to Thursday morning may be removed by show staff. Beef stalls will not be available until Friday after 3:00 p.m. because of the need to clean out and re-bed the barn following the open class shows. Stalling assignments will be e-mailed to this livestock exhibitor listserv and to FFA Advisors and 4-H Extension Staff as they become available. Cattle are required to tie out after 7:00 p.m. There will be flexibility in the event of bad weather. No pens or chutes are allowed in the tie out area. There will be security in this area. The livestock office will be staffed from 7:00 a.m. on Thursday, August 30 through 6:00 p.m. Monday, September 3. Check-in Deadlines: Livestock must be in place at the state fair by the following times: All 4-H sheep and 4-H goats must be in place by 9:00 p.m. Friday, August, 31. All other 4-H and FFA livestock must be in place by 9:30 a.m. Saturday, September 1. Additional Electricity Available: Please continue to use common sense in the equipment you bring - though there is sufficient power available, it is not unlimited. Keep extension cords to a minimum! DO NOT have cords lying across aisles or in water; FIRE MARSHAL IS WATCHING! All generators must be kept outside the barn. Bedding: Mid Nebraska Feeds (308-391-2992) will be operating the Feed Store this year. Bulk will be used as the initial bedding for the Cattle Barn. Bagged bedding will be used in the Sheep and Swine Barns. Bulk bedding will be used in the tie-out areas. Bedding will be supplied for the Sheep, Swine and Goats as in the past. Additional bagged bedding may be purchased from Mid Nebraska Feeds. Mid Nebraska Feeds, located west of the Cattle Barn, is open from 7:00 7:00 daily and accepts cash, check, or credit/debit cards. Please use no more than 1 bag of small woodchips for every two sheep, goat or swine pens. Livestock Insurance: Because of heat, stress or other conditions, an animal occasionally dies during transit or at the State Fairgrounds. Some insurance companies do offer special insurance for exhibitors to cover their animals during transit and exhibition. If you are interested in assuring that such a loss will be covered, contact a local insurance agent. There is no insurance coverage (through State Fair, 4-H or FFA) for this type of loss. For animals that are sent to slaughter from the fairgrounds, the trucking and/or packing company has insurance to cover losses during transit from the fairgrounds to the packing plant. Feed Service: Bring your vehicle with feed and/or tack to Gate #3. You are allowed 30 minutes for unloading. After unloading, exit through Gate #3 to either the exhibitor parking lot (with permit) or general parking (without a permit). Vehicles exceeding 30 minutes will be towed at the owner s expense.
Beef Blocking Chutes, Fans and Generators: No free standing fans allowed in any of the barns. Beef fans are limited to one fan per animal. Beef blocking chutes will be limited and assigned to each county or FFA chapter based on the number of pre-entered beef. Extension educators and FFA advisors will disperse chute tags as they see fit and only chutes with a 2018 state fair tag permits will be allowed. This will require cooperation among exhibitors to ensure that anyone who needs a blocking chute has one available. Exhibitors will be asked to remove chutes without proper tags or in non-designated spaces. Local 4-H County Staff or the local FFA Advisor should be the first contact for help when settling disputes about blocking chutes distribution within the local county or chapter. No blocking chutes will be allowed in the swine barn. No generators will be allowed in the barns at any time. Generators will be allowed only outside the barns and in the tie out area. Rules: Be sure to read and abide by all rules outlined in the 4-H & FFA General Livestock Rules, each species specific rules for 4-H and FFA and the State Fair General Livestock Rules & Regulations. Champion Selection and Parade of Breeding Champions: In an effort to highlight the outstanding Nebraska 4-H and FFA members, their families, and their accomplishments we have changed what used to be the Parade of Champions that was traditionally held on Monday afternoon prior to selecting the Champion 4-H Market Beef. In 2018, there will be 2 separate Champion Selections; one on Sunday and one on Monday starting at 4:00 in the Five Points Bank Arena. The market animals that show on those respective days will not have their champions selected at the conclusion of the show, but will instead all be selected in succession starting at 4:00 PM. In addition, the breeding champions (champion and reserve overall) correlated to that show (4-H or FFA) and species will be paraded and recognized prior to those market animals being selected. The schedule will look as follows: Sunday September 2 (Starting at 4:00 PM) FFA Market Hogs (FFA Breeding Gilt Champions paraded before) FFA Market Goats (FFA Breeding Doe Champions paraded before) 4H Market Lambs (4H Breeding Ewe Champions paraded before) FFA Market Beef (FFA Breeding Beef Champions paraded before) Monday September 3 (Starting at 4:00 PM) 4-H Market Hogs (NO 4-H Breeding Gilt show) 4-H Market Goats (4-H Breeding Doe Champions paraded before) FFA Market Lambs (FFA Breeding Champions paraded before) 4-H Market Beef (4-H Breeding Heifer Champions paraded before) All market division champions from the respective market shows and overall breeding champions will need to start assembling at approximately 3:30 PM (or whenever shows in Five Points Bank Arena are completed if later than 3:30 PM) to be organized for the Champion Selections. Show superintendents will work with youth and their families to explain the new system and will be available to assist.
Livestock Release: To ensure a safe load out process on Monday, September 3, livestock will be released in a mannerly order beginning at 10:00 a.m. Beef Exhibitors Stalling: Because of the need to clean out and re-bed, we cannot guarantee that the Beef Barn will be open until after 3:00 p.m. on Friday, August 31. Beef animals can begin arriving on the fairgrounds at noon and should not arrive before then. Beef animals that arrive before the barn is ready can be temporarily stalled in the tie-outs. Tents, generators and fans will be allowed in the tie outs on Friday, August 31 prior to the barn opening. These items must be removed once the Beef Barn opens. Specific stalling assignments and maps will be made available on the State Fair website. All beef animals must in place by 9:30 a.m. on Saturday, September 1. Local 4-H County Staff or the local FFA Advisor should be the first contact to help when settling disputes about stall location, blocking chute distribution and general space issues within that local county or chapter. Unloading: To help speed up the unloading process, there will be people in the barns to help you. Please be courteous to your fellow exhibitors by unloading your supplies and animals as quickly as possible and moving out of the barn prior to setting up your stalls. We have installed water hydrants in the tie-out area so you can get water to your animals if you are sitting in line. Blocking Chutes: The number of 2018 blocking chutes permits allowed for the 4-H and FFA shows is limited. Your 4-H extension educator or FFA chapter advisor will be dispersing chute tags. In some cases, several counties or FFA chapters must share tags. We are confident that cooperation will be a centerpiece at the fair, and we need your help to make it so. Any chutes without 2018 tag permits or in not-designated chute spaces will be removed. Blocking chutes will only be allowed in specified areas, which will be drawn on the map. There will be some spaces scattered throughout the stalling area; these will be specifically drawn and labeled. There will also be some space along the north wall of the cattle barn and along the south wall outside the barn. No blocking chutes will be allowed in the swine barn. The barn has lines painted on it to designate the aisle space. Nothing will be allowed outside the painted lines in the aisles.
Sheep and Goats Exhibitors Stalling: The barn will be open for exhibitors to begin bringing in animals and tack at 8:00 a.m. on Thursday, August 30. Any tack brought into the barn prior to this time may be removed by show staff. We strongly encourage you to beat the Friday rush and bring animals in on Thursday if you can. The barn will be split between 4-H and FFA and between sheep and goats. However, we have worked to accommodate those families who are in both 4-H and FFA and to follow the stalling preferences made on the entry form. Specific stalling assignments and maps will be made available. Tack pens will be included in the map. Do not take more space than you were allotted. All 4-H sheep and 4-H goats must be in place by 9:00 p.m. on Friday, August 31. FFA sheep and goats must be in place by 9:30 a.m. on Saturday, September 1. Local 4-H County Staff or the local FFA Advisor should be the first contact to help when settling disputes about stall location and general space issues within that local county or chapter. Unloading: Unloading can be a challenge on Friday. There will be people in the barn to help you. Please be courteous to your fellow exhibitors by unloading your supplies and animals and moving out of the way prior to setting up your pens. Please do your best to keep aisles clear and welcoming to other exhibitors and the general public. Fitting Stands: You are welcome to use sheep and goat fitting stands. However, please use common sense and courtesy with where you put them. Anyone with stands that block aisles will be forced to move them. We must continue to stay in compliance with fire code and not block aisles.
Swine Exhibitors: Stalling: The barn will be open for exhibitors to begin bringing in animals at 8:00 a.m. on Thursday, August 30. Any tack brought into the barn prior to this time may be removed by show staff. We strongly encourage you to beat the Friday rush and bring animals in on Thursday if you can. The barn will be split between 4-H and FFA. However, we have worked to accommodate those families who are in both 4-H and FFA and to follow the stalling preferences made on the entry form. Specific stalling assignments and maps will be made available when ready. Tack pens will be included in the map. Do not take more space than you were allotted. A number of 4-H and FFA exhibitors also show in the open class shows. When you arrive for open class, you must pen in your designated 4-H or FFA stall. We hope to keep all non 4-H or FFA swine out of the pre-stalled pens. An allotment of pens has been set aside on the west side of the barn for open class. All swine must be in place by 9:30 a.m. on Saturday, September 1. Local 4-H County Staff or the local FFA Advisor should be the first contact to help when settling disputes about stall location and general space issues within that local county or chapter. Unloading: Unloading can be a challenge on Friday. There will be people available to help you unload. Please be courteous to your fellow exhibitors by unloading your supplies and animals and moving out of the way prior to setting up your pens. Please do your best to keep aisles clear and welcoming to other exhibitors and the general public. Swine Hormel Affidavit: Everyone will be required to market their hogs from the State Fair. Bring the Hormel affidavit with you and your hogs on weigh day. This form must be completely filled out and must include the visual ear tag and animal sex. You must present this form at check-in. Please make sure your PQA or YQCA number is on the affidavit. Hormel Foods Corp would recommend the following guidelines for selling your hogs at upcoming swine shows. To maximize the best possible carcass premiums sell carcasses weighing 181 to 222 pounds that should equate to live hogs weighing between 240 and 296 pounds. To avoid discounts, sell carcasses weighing between 174 and 229 pounds that should equate to live hogs weighing approximately 232 to 290 pounds. Any individual carcass weighing less than 174 or more than 229 will be discounted on a progressive basis. Hormel Foods will not harvest individual live weight hogs weighing less than 215 or over 330.